Take the Fall, the Darkness Will Break
by Euregatto
Summary: Saix and Axel are on the run... from the Organization. With no where to go, no one to trust, and deadly inner forces threatening to tear them apart, they have no choice but to put their fates in the hands of Sora. More info inside. rated for language
1. Putting Out the Fire With Gasoline

_I don't know why I wrote this... but the idea kinda came to me while writing Lead Poisoning. I don't own Kingdom Hearts._

_Might be a Saix/Axel pairing, I haven't decided yet... but don't hate :( I love the pairing... But it's most llikely just gonna stay a BFFL thing. Rated M for language for now._

_Storyline: When Axel fails a VERY important mission, Xemnas sentences him to death. Roxas and Xion can only observe as their best friend is about to be ended right before their eyes... but then Saix intervenes! Now Saix and Axel are on the run, and they need to take down the Organization... with the help of none other than Sora. Can they survive until Sora awakens, or will deadly, stronger inner forces threaten to tear them apart?_

_If you liked please reveiw ^^_

_Edit: Removed Lexy from the story. Forgot he's supposed to be dead XD_

_~Eure_

* * *

It might have been Roxas who set Saix off that day. Me? I was the idiot who caused the problem. OK... so maybe Saix had been taking everything a little too far with our original "take over the Organization" plot, and to be candid he hadn't really been himself since we lost our hearts. I felt like he was pushing me away, slowly but surely. He would reign and he would laugh as I fell along with the rest of the Nobodies.

Well, that's what I thought until my mission...

"You _failed?_" Xemnas asked as more of a fact than a question. Roxas and Xion studied me from the corner of the room, a random sector that we were strolling through (it was more like limping for me) when Xemnas confronted us. This time, though, they had nothing to say to defend me. "This mission was important, _Axel. _Do you know the punishment for _failing_?" There was anger rising in his tone and I could barely even see straight after my fallout on the mission. Interdiction formed in his hands, "The punishment is _death_!"

"No, wait Superior!" Roxas cried out, but I held up my hand and silenced him.

"It's alright, Roxas," I uttered assuredly, "Just keep your mouth shut." Xemnas lunged at me with his ethereal blades gleaming, amber eyes glazed over with the closest thing to hate as a Nobody could get. "I'm sorry, you two," I smiled over my shoulder at them, "So... sorry..." My eyes squeezed shut and I prepared for the finishing blow.

To think... it would all end like this...

There was a flash, and I felt no pain. After a moment my eyes fluttered open to the surprising scene before me. "S-Saix?"

Yes, the one and only blue-haired Nobody himself was poised before me, blocking back Xemnas's weapon with his own. The Claymore was expanded and Saix's hair was standing on end. He had gone Berserk just to defend me? Had we misjudged Xemnas's power level?

"You're going to pay for this, Saix!" Xemnas barked. There was a tension in the atmosphere for several seconds. "Explain yourself!"

"You will _not _touch him!" Saix bellowed back, matching Xemnas's tone, "If you so much as look at him I'm going to break your fucking neck!" Xemnas didn't respond; only stared with an expression caught between blank and unreadable. Well, I never saw _this _coming.

"Saix..." I muttered under my breath with disbelief.

"Shut up!" He snapped, "It's your idiocy that got you into this mess!"

"Yeah, and you're the one who decided to jump in Xemnas's way, so now we're both in this together-!"

"No thanks to you!" He hissed, "Got it memorized?" I leered as he stole my line perfectly on cue. Suddenly he lunged for Xemnas, snarling ferociously. They clashed their blades together, sparks jumping. Roxas and Xion approached me instantly, frantic but relieved I was still in one piece.

"Are you alright?" Xion asked, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah," I sighed. The floor nearby shattered into a crater where Xemnas had punched Saix into it. Xemnas landed gracefully and watched with amusement as Saix struggled to get to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth and sliding off his chin. He forced himself to his feet and half-ran half-stumbled to the Superior, Berserk screeching as its spike dug into the tile. Saix went for an upward swing-

CLICK. "What's going on here?" Xigbar was suddenly between the two of them with the nozzles of Sharpshooter pressed against their foreheads. The two had been too close so he was forced to cross his arms over his chest and threaten them with opposite arrowguns.

"Xigbar..." Xemnas started, backed away from the Freeshooter; stared awkwardly. "I was going to give Axel his punishment for failing a prior mission when Saix decided to step in."

Xigbar snorted and lowered his weapons, "Figures. You can't tame fire and you certainly can't put the moon in a box. Did you expect them to be loyal to you? You should've noticed by now that they barely listen to me; you moreover."

Xemnas retorted, "Shut up you blubbering old fool!"

Saix hissed about the misplaced bones in his arm and let his weapon fade as he stormed over to me on a slight limp. He smacked me-HARD-and then grabbed my elbow with his good hand, "Let's go, Lea."

I opened a corridor of darkness behind us and we stumbled in without a word of exchange between us.

**~*Kingdom Hearts: Take the Fall, the Darkness Will Break*~**

**Chapter 1: Putting Out the Fire with Gasoline**

"What. Happened. On your. Mission?" Saix demanded as he stitched up the gash in my shoulder, "It was simple, wasn't it? Place the fucking device in fucking Neverland, Axel!" We sat bare-chested on his bed, patching up each other's wounds.

"I was ambushed," I admitted, "There were too many of them, Isa." He suddenly tugged on the thread and I cried out with a tinge of pain tingling my spine. "Ow!"

"Done." He cut the string and I turned so I could patch up the slices across his chest and tend to his sprained arm. "Ambushed by what, exactly?"

I held a piece of scrap metal in my fingers, let it heat up from my flames, "Dustfliers. They all came at me at once..." I ran the metal across the first of surprisingly few but deep cuts, "I had no choice but to abort the mission." Saix winced and bared his fangs as the wound was sealed.

"Yeah, I understand then... but what about the device?"

I worked on another wound, "They destroyed it. What was I supposed to do?"

There was silence as I burned two more slashes closed. He frowned. "Why don't I believe you?"

I was hardly surprised. "Why wouldn't you believe me, especially with all the wounds on me?"

"How do I know you didn't destroy the device yourself?" Saix whimpered slightly as I moved to stitch up the single mark that was too deep to be burned. "What have I told you about that doll you call _friend?_"

"I know, I know!" I tugged on the thread the same way he had done to me and he growled. "I just... Oh, Isa... I don't know what to do." I hit my head into the crook of his neck and sighed, "I just can't decide between them... Why does this have to be so difficult?"

"It wouldn't be if she wasn't killing him," Saix mentioned, "It's one or the other, and Xemnas has his sights set on Xion being Roxas's successor."

"And then Sora won't wake up until she's..." I grit my teeth together and sat back up to finish patching up his wound, "...destroyed. Saix, why did you do this to me? You know I have a nasty habit of being attached to my friends."

"Tell me about it."

"Axel, Saix!" Roxas burst into the room at that moment, practically out of breath, "You need to run! Now!" Xion followed him half a moment later, but she turned and scanned up and down the hall way. "The order's been given!"

"What order?" Saix questioned, his tone flat and unconcerned.

"Xemnas wasn't happy with you defying his judgment," Roxas affirmed, "He gave the order to the rest of the members to track you both down and destroy you."

We were silent. Saix moved first and grabbed our cloaks off of the chair. He passed mine to me and then slid his own on, "Time to go, Axel."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here!" He opened a corridor of darkness and zipped up his cloak.

"Can we come?" Roxas asked, taking a step forward eagerly.

I opened my mouth but Saix cut me off first, "No. It will be safer if you stay here with Xion." I shot an irritated gaze at him and he replied to my glare, "We just had this conversation, Axel. If they come along Xemnas will destroy BOTH of them." I took his word for it and stood.

"But..." Roxas's voice trailed off.

For once Saix rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, "You can be our eyes on the inside, Roxas, but it will be too dangerous to make contact with us..."

"How will we find you?"

"You won't." Saix pushed me into the corridor suddenly and he followed suit.

Roxas went for the portal but it had already shut. He looked at Xion who only stared back. "What do we do now?" She asked no one in particular.

The Key of Destiny didn't know how to answer.

* * *

I believed it was Roxas who set Saix off because Saix, despite being the cold-blooded Nobody that he was, was jealous of my relationship with number XIII. Jealous? Yeah, I know, Nobodies can't feel… but I guess Saix was just remembering his possessive memories. He was never the kind of person to share his toys… or me for that matter.

"Keep running."

"Just tell me where we're going!"

"I… I don't know! We just need to run!"

"Why Twilight Town?"

"I don't fucking know! Just run!"

I chucked my chakrams and obliterated the two Shadows in our path. Saix sprang up and slammed his claymore down onto the Guardian, destroying that, too. We kept running up towards Station Tower and into the plaza. Saix stopped suddenly and glanced around, "We're not alone, Lea, be on guard."

A lance spiraled in my direction. Saix jumped in its way and deflected it with his claymore. I impulsively got between him and two lances, knocking them out of the air with Eternal Flames.

The lances whirled away and into the hands of—"Well, well, why am I not surprised?" Xaldin levitated above the ground, his other lances dancing around him in funnels of air. There were multiple shadows that dropped from above and encircled us. Demyx, Luxord, Xion, and even Roxas had their weapons at the ready. Xion and Roxas seemed a bit reluctant with their stances. A swarm of arrows rained down at us, but I was faster and I threw up my chakrams. They spun in rapid circles, blocking and destroying the arrows like our own personal umbrella.

When the hailstorm finally stopped I allowed my weapons to return to my hands, and Xigbar landed on one knee beside Luxord. He rose up to his feet and reloaded his arrowguns, "You two are causing problems for us!"

"You started!" I snapped, my chakrams flaring up. Saix's claymore expanded and his facial scar started to stretch.

"Get them," Xigbar ordered.

Demyx moved first, strumming dangerous notes on his sitar which, in turn, summoned up a monstrous water serpent that lifted him high into the air on its head. _That's new, _I thought. Luxord's cards swirled around the serpent like a twister, and suddenly it lunged for us. Saix and I rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, but Luxord's cards broke away from the serpent and drilled Saix into the floor.

A boulder was launched in my direction, catching me off guard, but I reflexively dodged and sprang into the air. Demyx's serpent went for me, but Saix—who had recovered after being barely damaged by Luxord's attack—got to me first. He slammed the Melodious Nocturne into the tower with Berserk, and the serpent shattered into water droplets before it could reach me.

Saix and I pressed up against each other, back-to-back. "They're not so tough," Saix mused, "It would've been worse if the other half from Castle Oblivion were still alive. It seems our plan wasn't a total failure."

"You did what in Castle Oblivion?" Xigbar snapped vehemently, "I was wondering who was messing around!"

"Oops, did that slip?" I asked sarcastically and smirked gamely, "It seems that backfired." Saix snorted from behind me. Suddenly we were enveloped in a circle of large cards that were reeling too quickly for us to escape without being sliced vertically in half. Xaldin's lances appeared above us, but they turned sharply and swirled in our direction. "I've got this," I remarked and let my chakrams venture in the opposite direction of Luxord's cards. They gained speed so quickly sparks jumped and an instant typhoon of fire raged upwards and out, destroying the cards and knocking aside the lances. The flames died out as quickly as they had come, leaving behind nothing but smog and ash.

I brushed off my sleeve to rid myself of the debris, "Who's next?"

There was a familiar whizzing sound "LOOK OUT LEA!" and multiple gut-wrenching noises of flesh being pierced. "Dammit…!"

I blinked momentarily. Xigbar hadn't spared the moment and fired at us, but Saix had jumped in the way—as usual—and received the bullets to his back. "Saix!" I exclaimed, but Xion moved in then. She knocked him to the floor with a stronger-than-I-thought-she-was-capable-of kick and I was forced back when Roxas slashed at me with his Keyblade. His first parry was a solid strike to my chest, but I managed to roll out of the way of his next swing. "Roxas!" I hissed, "What the hell? I thought we were friends!"

"Sorry, Axel," Roxas said solemnly and his Keyblade was changed into Oathkeeper, "Orders are orders." He stared at me, but then he winked. "Nothing personal." He lunged at me and slashed, and that was when I realized his moves were off beat. They were slower and his swings were unnoticeably sloppy, leaving him wide open to an attack. He _wanted _me to strike him down, just so it would give me a chance to escape.

Xion stomped on Saix's back, but I noticed it was only hard enough to look like she was serious. It was just one. Big. Fucked up. Plan.

I took my quickest chance to punch Roxas in the gut and knock the wind out of him, but when Xigbar pushed Xion aside and pressed the nozzle of Sharpshooter against the back of Saix's head, I thought quickly and picked up the Key of Destiny… and then _threw him across the plaza, _right into the Freeshooter. Xigbar crashed into Xion and the three toppled to the ground fruitlessly. Xaldin went for me and Luxord went for Saix, but I summoned out my chakrams and chucked one right at Xaldin.

He went to block but it spiraled around him and struck Luxord. Xaldin had been distracted by the oddness of my throw for a moment, and I used the opportunity to slug one of my special fireballs into his face.

There was an explosion only large enough to send him sailing to the ground and keep him down.

I scrambled over to Saix and grabbed him by his arm, "Let's go, Saix." I threw that arm around my shoulders and dragged him off into the tower, struggling to get him up to the top floor and out to the ledge where I usually sat and watched the sunset with Roxas and Xion. I dropped him to the floor and gently shook him, "S-Saix? Dude, get up." He whispered something incoherent. I leaned down to his lips, "What?"

Suddenly he raised his voice, "You're a fucking idiot!" My jaw dropped in sheer disbelief. "You're head is swelled! Here, let me pop it for you!" He grabbed a handful of my hair and dug my forehead into the corner of the ledge, "You never let your guard down! And can you explain why you brought us up here of all places?"

"They won't come looking for us up here unless you keep yelling!" I shot back.

He cringed and released his iron grip on me. "You're lucky I can't move or I'd kick your ass into next month!" He struggled to his knees and I helped him sit up against the wall. "Dammit, Axel, why am I always saving you, anyway?"

"You call me a numbskull? You're the one who's always jumping in the way," I made a face at him, "You're head is just as big as mine is! Got it memorized?"

He pushed me over and grunted. "Yeah."

I shifted so I could sit beside him, "Saix… what do we do now? The Organization is strong… I don't think we'll be able to withstand another attack from them…" My senses tingled and I glanced over to see Xion and Roxas exit out of a Corridor of Darkness. "Oh, hey you two! I was wondering when you would get here."

Roxas rubbed at his side, "You really hit me hard, Ax!"

"Sorry," I shrugged, "Adrenaline of the moment."

"And you nearly broke Demyx in half, Saix," Xion mentioned, "He couldn't move from several busted ribs. Xemnas is going to kill you both for this."

Saix chuckled and we looked at him awkwardly. "I figured you two weren't going to carry out Xemnas's orders… but Xion you sure can—" He choked on something in his throat, and I slapped his back. He spit blood to the floor and swallowed dryly, "You sure can kick."

"My apologizes," She said briskly.

Saix waved her off and coughed again. Xion frowned for a moment, and then reached into her cloak. She pulled out an elixir and offered it to him. He studied her for several seconds, his golden-fire eyes flickering intensely. Without his consent she kneeled down and pressed the bottle against his lips. Roxas said nothing; only looked at me. I didn't return the glance.

Xion tilted the bottle a little and Saix parted his lips to allow the liquid passage down his throat.

"Awkward," Roxas uttered to me. I nodded in obvious agreement.

Xion finally spoke up and moved the bottle away from Saix's mouth, "There. See how easy life is when you cooperate?"

"Shut up," He snarled and pierced me with an icy glare, "Happy, Lea? Now we're screwed, and you won't be able to stop Xemnas from continuing with the doll and destroying Sora."

"Seriously, who the hell is Sora?" Roxas folded his arms back against his chest, "I'm getting annoyed now! No one can give me a straight answer!"

Saix glared at him, "That's on a don't-need-to-know basis, boy. Consider keeping your nose out of other people's business for once." I jabbed his side with my elbow and he advanced on me, holding me down effortlessly with my arms pinned over my head. "That hurt!"

"No one said it wasn't going to," I scoffed.

The bell over head started to ring with that loud and obnoxious _gong! gong! gong!_ sound that signaled the next hour. Saix covered his ears, and knowing how sensitive they were to noises I instinctively brought his head to my chest to block off one ear and covered the other with the crook of my arm. A corridor of darkness opened beneath us and we slowly sunk into it, but not before I called over the sound to Roxas and Xion, "Don't follow us, you two. It's best if you don't."

Roxas nodded briskly, and his sad blue eyes were the last thing that I saw before the darkness swallowed us whole…

…the same sadness Isa had held that dreadful night so few years ago.


	2. Full Moon Rising

**Short, but still an update, right? lol**

" One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. But to sacrifice what you are and to live without belief, that is a fate more terrible than dying." -Joan of Arc

**Chapter 2: Full Moon Rising**

"I-I can't… Axel I can't…"

"Come on, just bare with me until we can find a place to rest," I had Saix's arm swung around my neck and my other arm hooked on his waist so I could drag him with me as we searched through Traverse Town for a place to rest. The elixir hadn't cured Saix of his wounds received from the fallout in Twilight Town, and his arm was still awkward. He needed proper treatment before he bled to death.

"Lea… Please I can't…" Saix only grew heavier and I was practically weighed down by him. Oh, and didn't help that it was raining. Not just raining but pouring. Our coats were heavy enough as it was, and when wet it was just a bitch to stand. My hair was slicked down and clung to the depressions of my temple and the nape of my neck. Rivulets of water slid down my face and irritated my eyes. I just didn't like the rain in general. "I… can't…!"

"No, don't you dare pass out on me!"

Blood trickled through the tears in his coat and it was washed away along with the chilling liquid cascading down his back.

There were lights from a house nearby and I forced myself up the steps and to the front door. Saix fell silent and I nearly dropped him. _He's not going to make it! _I tapped the door with my foot only hard enough to make it seem like an emergency. When nothing happened for a few seconds I cried out, "My friend's hurt! Someone please, help!"

Suddenly a woman answered—she was young, and she didn't seem pleased that we were bothering her, "What do you want, Nobody?"

_Does she know about the Organization? _"We were attacked… Please help my friend he's severely injured!"

"Go run back to your Organization. I don't care if you're hurt or not." She went to slam the door closed but I thought quickly and stuck my foot between that and the door frame. She sighed but did nothing. "Why would you come here?"

"We're just looking for a place to hide for a day or two," I admitted, "We can't go back to the Organization. They're the ones who did this to us!"

She opened the door slightly and I removed my foot (which was throbbing now), "Why should I trust you?" and she shut us out in the cold.

_Dammit, woman, let us in he's going to die!_ No, I couldn't give up that easily! "Please! If I was lying don't you think I would just take him back to the Organization? Why would I be here? Dammit, save him! Please! _Please_!" Nothing happened and I slid to my knees, laid Saix down gently on the icy-cold ground, and my words fell into soft mutters. "Please… Help him…"

The rain pelted us and everything around like hail, so I unzipped my cloak and slipped it off, leaving me with my sleeveless shift on underneath. I laid the cloak across him and sat back against the wall before I moved his head to my lap and stared at the puddles of water that built up along the side of the road. We were screwed now. In just a matter of a day we had gotten on Xemnas's bad side, had the shit beaten out of us and beat the shit out of the Organization, got caught in the storm, and now Saix was going to die because I couldn't get him help in time. I was just waiting for him to fade now—our plans were fucked and we were being hunted, but even if we had stayed we knew Kingdom Hearts was never going to work anyway and Xemnas was going to erase me.

There's no way out for us. There never was one to begin with.

The door cracked open, "You guys are pathetic. Talk about soap opera 101, yeesh!" The girl poked her head out and glared daggers at us, "Well, come on! Get in or stay out!"

I didn't hesitate and jumped to my feet; lifted Saix off the ground and dragged him inside. _Don't worry, Isa. I'm gonna take care of you._

_

* * *

_

"Aerith and I are the only ones here right now," The girl said as her friend examined the bullet wound holes in Saix's back, "My name's Yuffie by the way. What're Nobodies like you doing here in Traverse Town?"

I shrugged and scuffed up my hair with a towel to dry, "Bit of a long story… Let's just say we're not on the Organization's good side, and we need a place to hide for a few days—just until he can fight again."

"I'd hate to be you right now," She quipped, "but I'm warning you—try anything, and I'm gonna slice off your manhood with a butter knife." My pants grew tight for unexplainable reasons, and cautiously I stepped away from her.

"So, how do you know about the Organization?"

Yuffie's expression fell blank, "Well, Aerith and I… where we're from, the world fell into darkness. So, we came here. We've been trying to find the source for the world's demise for about 9 years now, and then we came across you guys. Let's just say… we don't like you."

I snorted, "You and everyone else. Sorry, but we're not the ones who brought darkness into your world."

"I didn't say that," She retorted.

Saix stirred on the table suddenly, but he coughed and blood leaked from his mouth onto the cloth that was folded beneath his cheek. "L-Lea…" I strode over to him and crouched so I was level with his calculated golden stare. He studied me curiously, but his eyes were weary and he winced as Aerith stitched up his wounds. "Lea… where are we?"

"Don't worry; I got us some help," I smiled in high hopes of reassuring him, "Two nice women took us in—Aerith is fixing you up good as new."

"You… put them in danger," He whispered, "The Organization will come after them."

"Only if they know we're here," I mentioned, "but for now I think we're safe. Besides, what can they do with four members out of commission? I'm sure Demyx can't move, Xaldin must have some painful third degree burns, and Lexaeus and Luxord most likely have some nasty wounds on them, too. Xigbar's the only member left who can fight, and there's no way he's going to challenge us both at once, and you know as well as I do that Roxas and Xion are on _our_ side."

"For how long?" He muttered, and I fell silent. He flinched again and ground his teeth together.

I sighed and paced over to Yuffie, "So, what's the plan?"

"There's a plan?"

"How long can we stay here?"

"Only until Blueberry over there gets better," Yuffie scoffed, "After that I want you two out of here. Don't even mention that I know you or that you know us, alright?"

My lips pressed into a thin line, "Then… where do we go?" I stared at the ground, thoughtfully bliss at multiple things, "Ah, I have a few ideas… they wouldn't think of looking for us there… yes, that's going to work just great!"

"You have a clue?" Yuffie blinked.

"Yes," I nodded, "I was thinking maybe the Pride Lands."

Yuffie snorted, "Oh, that's classic! I was going to suggest seeing Naminé and having her put you to sleep." I blinked, shooting her a quizzical look. "Think about it—Sora's asleep, isn't he? Or didn't you know that? If Naminé knocks you guys out too, then you don't have to worry about the Organization going to look for you because they won't be able to pinpoint your coordinates. And then, you can let Sora do the rest of the work!"

I gave her a blank expression, "The point is to run from the enemy, not side with the enemy."

"But the enemy of your enemy is also your friend!"

My fingers formed a triangle, "So basically Saix and I are on both sides, or on neither? Besides, the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy so we can't be friends—let alone allies."

"Stop confusing me," She started counting on her hand, "Just, forget it! You can crash here, but be out when Saix is capable of swinging something again!"

* * *

Outside, in the pouring rain, a cloaked figure watched them through the window from the roof of the opposite building across the street. He couldn't read their lips from his angle, but he could tell that Axel and Saix had allies. What ever they were planning he had to expose; the doll was almost ready, and nothing could get in Xemnas's way, even if that meant eliminating the traitors by himself. He just needed the right time to strike.

A Heartless cried out somewhere closeby. Rising from his knees with his rifles materializing in his hands, he leapt off into the night.

His only hope was that he was capable of pulling the trigger when the time came.


	3. Buried Under Fire

**Chapter 3: Buried Under Fire**

"No! Nononononono! I refuse! Absolutely not!" Saix crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm not going to do that! You've had some pretty stupid ideas before Axel but this is pushing it! I've had it up to here!" He drew an invisible line across the center of his face, "I am NOT doing that! No way; no how!"

"But the triangle, Saix!" I formed a triangle with my fingers, "Yuffie and I already talked it over! Naminé is no longer under our control, but she trusts me."

"Who would trust you?" He retorted, "Who even cares about you?"

"You, Dipshit," I hissed, "Otherwise you wouldn't have defended me _twice_!" His arms slowly fell to his sides, and he sighed heavily with defeat. "That's what I thought. Now, let's have a nice… simple… _sophisticated_ conversation without you going postal, OK?" He forced a slight grunt (Saix language for "Fine") and I faced Yuffie, "Listen, we'll head out now. See you later!"

"No you won't!" She snapped and forcibly pushed me towards the door, "I don't want to see you hanging out here again, got it?" I made a playful cat-like growl and she literally kicked me in the ass, forcing me to the ground outside. Saix slapped his hand over his face and lugged out after me. "I'm not kidding Axel! I'm going to cut off your manhood, put it through a blender, and make you drink it!" She slammed the door shut and nearly broke it off its hinges.

I stood and brushed the dust off of my cloak, "She digs me."

"Totally," Saix replied indifferently. He winced and glanced around quickly, "We need to go."

"Why?"

He put his arms around my shoulders—which freaked me the hell out—and started dragging me down the street, "We've been watched for the past few days—act normal for me, alright?" I let my body heat up and his underarm was scorched. He snarled and released me, "I'm going to dump ice water on you and then hit you with the bucket until your brains fall out of your head!"

"So violent," I admonished.

He rolled his eyes, "Just walk." We started down the street again, not very sure where we were headed, "Look, Yuffie and Aerith shouldn't be in danger as long as we're gone… and I trust that they can take care of themselves."

"So where are we going?"

"Did you _not_ hear anything that I **just** said? We're being watched! If I told you where we were going they would know, too!"

"Who, the Organization?"

Saix grabbed me by my hair and bashed my forehead into his, which always hurt me more than him. I reeled back, hissing about the bruise forming on my brow. "Who else dumbass?" He fell silent suddenly, and his attention was shot over his shoulder. Nothing moved down the street-which was both a good and bad thing-and he pushed me up against the wall suddenly, "Don't make a sound." I purred playfully and he sneered. "Not like that you idiot!" His voice lowered to a whisper, "Look over my shoulder, what do you see?"

I cast my emerald gaze over to the alley behind us and noticed the cloaked figure shrouded in the darkness, cards passing from hand to hand. "Luxord."

"Exactly. He's not alone." Saix's fingers constricted my elbow and he dragged me off.

"They're just gonna keep stalking us," I said matter-of-factly as his grip slipped away from my arm.

"It's not gonna do us any good to fight, either," He noted. We passed by a building where another Organization member was perched on the roof, the wind picking up around him. "Xemnas is too focused on Kingdom Hearts to send all of his members after us at once, so we might not encounter too many problems."

Luxord appeared before us suddenly, and without thinking I chucked a chakram at him and pierced his stomach. His body exploded into a mist of shadows that dispersed in a matter of seconds. "Illusion," I uttered and caught my weapon as it spiraled back at me.

"There are only two members left who can make illusions," Saix remarked, "Demyx is one, utilizing the art of his water..." His stern expression dropped, "...and the other is Xemnas."

By the time I had blinked an Ethereal Blade was wedged into his chest-right where his heart should have been-and as I went for him Xemnas appeared between his collapsing body and me. The Superior's second blade came up and slashed at me, but I deflected the blow with my chakrams. The force of the colliding weapons knocked me back a couple of feet, which was enough to give Xaldin room to advance. The Whirlwind Lancer brought up Lindworm and tossed them into the air. The funnels of wind generated from his weapons picked up around him and created an enormous tornado that tilted and blasted in my direction.

I sprang out of the way and the street was obliterated, but Luxord was behind me first. With four cards in the crook of his fingers he chucked Fair Game at me, slicing into my arms and legs. One was protruding from my shoulder when I landed on the pavement, but pain shot through my body and I fell to my knees.

"Don't try getting up," Luxord suggested, "Those cards paralyzed your movements." My arms were heavy as I lifted Eternal Flames at him, but my nerves went numb and my weapons clattered to the ground and materialized, disappearing. "Xaldin, finish him."

My eyes wandered over onto Saix, being lifted over Xemnas's shoulder. "I...Isa..." A twister came at me from my left and drilled me into the side of a building, just as everything went black.

_Isa. Isa. You always protected me. Saix. I couldn't handle them by myself. I'm weak, I know. I'm not very good at protecting my friends. Isa..._

**_I'm sorry._**

* * *

**_I'm so sorry, Isa..._**

"Hey, is he awake yet?"

"No."

**_Voices... Who are you? You sound familiar. Isa? Are you there?_**

"Well, it's my shift to watch him in a couple of minutes."

"OK, I can handle him though."

"I'm pretty sure he could kick your ass even if he is paralyzed."

"Hasn't that stuff worn off yet?"

"Most likely."

**_I... can't tell... Who are you? Move, Body, Move! It's so... dark. I'm used to the dark, but not like this... Where are you, Isa? It's cold. I'm... I'm..._**

"Y'know Axman, it's going to hurt when you wake up."

**_I'm scared, I think. Wait, I'm feeling a little better... I'm not so numb. I'm still cold. Where...? Where am I? Who... is that? _**There was a burning, ripping pain that raced his body suddenly, threatening to tear off his flesh and flip him inside out. **_IT HURTS! ISA! ISA! MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! PLEASE MAKE IT STOP! SOMEONE! ANYONE! HELP ME! _**His pain continued to shred his nerves and twist his insides. **_MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP! ISA! IIISSSAAAA!_**

I sat up with a start, the pain diminishing like it had never tormented me in the first place. I was heaving in greedy gulps of air, clutching at my bare chest. My cloak had been removed, but I wasn't worried. I was still in one piece, but...

"Glad you're awake," Demyx chirped from where he sat leisurely on the chair beside my bed, strumming on his Sitar.

"What was that...?" I asked myself, examining my sweaty palms.

Demyx chuckled, "The side-effect of Luxord's little paralyzing card technique... or something like that. I wasn't listening when he explained it." He smirked at me and I laid back again, clearing my mind of its daze. "How ya feeling?"

"Like shit." I replied abruptly.

The Melodious Nocturne's smirk melted into a soft smile, "I know. I still can't do much since Saix bashed me with his claymore and broke a nice portion of my ribs."

"Isn't that a good thing?" I questioned and he laughed. Realization hit me and I shot up, "Wait, Saix! Where's Saix! Why am still alive? Where am I? Why don't I have a shirt on? What day is it?"

Demyx gave me an inquiring expression, his eyebrow quirked, "Calm down. Xemnas wanted you and Saix kept alive but in separate rooms in the Castle. We took off your clothes to fix your wounds, and you both have been out for a few hours. Happy?"

I sat down and rubbed my brow. They let injured Demyx look after me? I could break out of here without even bothering with him... I could go find Saix and we could get out of here... but what good will that do? They would keep hunting us... unless...

_Unless...!_

Xigbar strode into the room then, a black shirt in his grip, "I'm back, and your shift is over. Xemnas wants to see everyone except for me in the..." His paused momentarily, searching for the right word as if he didn't want me to figure something out, "_room."_

Demyx sighed and Arpeggio materialized, fading into thin air. "Good. I need to put some more ice on my side, it's killing me!"

"Figures," Xigbar commented and offered out his free hand. Demyx grabbed his gesture and he was hauled to his feet, grinding his teeth together and hissing about his bruised sides as the bones shifted together. Demyx limped out, rubbing his injuries. Xigbar tossed the shirt at me, nailing me in the face. "Put it on," he ordered.

I rolled my eyes skyward and stood, stumbling a little at my dizziness, and slipped on the shirt. I wondered why Xigbar was making me put it on. "What's this for?"

"Shut up," He seethed, "If we give you a cloak you can escape in a Corridor of Darkness, and we aren't going to let you fight bare-chest."

"Fight?" I uttered, tilting my head a him.

He pretended he hadn't heard me and turned away, "Follow me. It's time."

_Time for what?_ I thought and obediently tailed him out of the room and down several hallways. _Why is his back to me?_ What made Xigbar think I wasn't going to run away on him? What made him think I wasn't going to slam him down with my chakrams? _Or maybe he knows no matter what I do I will never escape them... _The end of the hall spat out in a wide-open arena room, where the railed ledges overhead were lined with the other Organization members.

"If you're smart," He started to tell me as Xemnas emerged from a Corridor of Darkness, "You won't resist." He entered the darkness and it sealed shut behind him.

Xemnas grabbed the back of my collar and shoved me forward, out into the perfect center of the arena, "We were going to erase you, Axel... or should I say, _Lea_?" I grimaced. "But then I realized you deserve far worse a fate... You are to be erased by the only person you ever called **Best Friend**."

I glanced up at the stands, but Roxas and Xion were there. They chewed their lips with anticipation. _No, he can't mean...! _"Nice try, Xemnas," I snapped, "but Saix isn't going to fight me for the world!"

"That's what you believe," He countered, backing up into the darkness as it opened behind him, "Live or die, it's your choice... but you must fight."

Once he disappeared I heard a heavy clang of metal against tile, and I dared to glance over at the figure standing across the room, shirt like mine with Claymore in hand. His eyes glimmered gold, almost feral-like, and his teeth bared fangs.

"I-Isa... No..."


	4. Fire and Night

_A/N: So sorry, I was tied up! Next chapter up soon, I promise!_

**Chapter 4: Fire and Night**

Saix wasn't himself—he was wearing the same shirt as mine, black, tight over his chest—he raised his claymore to me, growling, tense. I stepped back. It was all too much handle… I was going to be erased by my best friend, but why was he doing this? _Why, Isa, why?_

I felt the fire in my chest boil upwards, shuddering like a volcano. "Saix, why're you-?" I was cut off when he lunged for me, swinging his Claymore skillfully. With the split second opening I summoned my chakrams and blocked back his attack. His next parry sent me sailing into the wall, collapsing to the floor a crumpled heap. I may have taken hits before, but this still _hurt_. He charged again as I worked my way to my knees, growling like a savage.

Thinking quickly I chucked a chakram at him, forcing him to dodge and break his attack. I rushed him and barreled into his chest, knocking him back; I caught my weapon as it spiraled back at me, "Saix, don't do this!"

Too bad he was beyond reasoning. He jumped to his feet, swinging his Claymore around. His distant glare pierced into me, grip tightening. Then, he exploded with power afflicted by Kingdom Hearts hanging just outside the window. His facial scar stretched, his hair stood on end, his fangs sharpened, his weapon expanded. He had gone Berserk—he was going to do everything in his ability to destroy me.

_Why would he do this me? No… Xemnas must have done something to him!_

I was going to have to fight back if I planned on surviving, or even knocking some sense into him. The fire building in my chest erupted—walls of flames blasted out from me in the form of an eight-point star, scorching the floor. The heat waves coiled around me, forming a searing, maned lion that reared up and roared at Saix.

Saix's crystal-blue energy lurched, molting into a bulked, snarling wolf that howled back at me. He raised his claymore, I lifted my chakrams, and then we lunged at each other, power exploding in our wake. Our weapons clashed together, on par. The beats above us raged, biting and clawing at one another. We forced each other away but wasted no time in striking again. This time we didn't break, a test to see who could push who back first.

"Give…" I started feeling my surge become too much to hold back any longer, "Give me… Give me back my friend!" Saix faltered. "GIVE ME BACK ISA!" My lion's jaws slammed closed around the wolf's neck, tearing off its head with ease as my power overwhelmed Saix. There was a flash of white that blinded me and concealed my next actions, our powers self-destructing.

All was still for a moment, my senses rushing back to me. My fingers were closed around Saix's wrists, pinning him against the cracked wall. "Isa, come back to me…" The cataclysm almost tore apart the entire room, cracking the window panes and the walls. The floor was nothing by a crater, scorched by my flames. "Isa… please… Remember me. I'm your best friend!"

"Best… friend?" He uttered under his breath, eyes half-closed and still painfully distant.

"Yes…" I lowered my voice to a mutter, almost a whisper, "Don't you remember? I don't know what Xemnas did to you, but that doesn't change the fact you are and always have been my best friend. Those trivial red sunsets, all the sea-salt ice cream we ate until we got sick, the long days wasted making mischief and the even longer nights spent in the holding cell afterwards?" I reiterated his name, his real name—the one from before the darkness and the lies and the black cloaks and Xemnas… "Isa… Isa… Please remember. Come back to me!"

Saix groaned, his head rolling as he fell back in consciousness. "L-Lea…" His golden orbs snapped open, "Oh, Lea… I'm so sorry."

He was back. Finally, he was back! "Isa!" I was relieved. As I receded away from him the familiar feeling of dread washed over me. Instinctively I ducked as Xemnas's Ethereal Blades crossed in the air where my head was only a split second ago. In response my leg reared back and nailed him in the chest, knocking him into Xaldin close behind. Xigbar replaced him, the nose of his Arrowgun striking the center of my sternum… and he pulled the trigger.

It clicked empty.

I didn't have enough time to ponder what had just happened. Saix grabbed me from behind and dragged me into Corridor of Darkness. The blackness sealed shut on Xigbar's smirk and Xemnas reaching for us in vain.

* * *

The darkness hurt this time. My arms felt raw, my eyes dried up from the brush of bitter, stale air that tasted emotionless and rank. A crack split open before us, light flooding into the shadow. The break split apart like a jigsaw puzzle, pieces falling away into the exit.

We stumbled out into a familiar luminescent foyer, the corridor shutting quietly behind us. Saix exhaled a sigh of relief, "Wow, we must be more accustomed to the darkness then we thought…" He faced me, furrowing his eyebrows, "Care to explain what happened back there?"

"You tell me! You apologized and the world didn't implode! Wait, maybe it did!" I checked myself for injuries, "No, maybe we're dead and we don't know it!"

He shoved me, "Shut up you idiot! You're voice grates on my nerves! You're lucky the darkness didn't destroy either of us on the way here!" His voice faltered, and I could tell his Berserk mode from before was fading. My chest felt lighter since exploding with power I forgot I even had, but my muscles stung after taking bashes from his Claymore. "Lea, lead me to Naminé. You know where she is in here, right?"

Oh, so that's where we were. But still… "Don't avoid the current situation, Isa!"

"This _is_ the current situation, Lea!" Oh, so now we were down to using our Somebody names, huh? I resorted to raking my fingers through my blazing red hair while he just pinched the bridge of his nose. "OK, OK… Look, all I remember is darkness, given Xemnas probably tried to brain wash me or something… but when I woke up you were standing over me and I realized the room was literally a war zone. So now it's your turn."

"That tells me nothing. Xemnas said that you were supposed to erase me, so I fought you back in hopes I would at least make it out in two pieces, and well-ah, here we are! Wait, why are we here again?"

"You mentioned before that Naminé could help us, and Yuffie said she was here. Take me to her if you know where she is."

I quirked an eyebrow, "You aren't seriously considering putting us to sleep, are you?"

"We don't have a choice," He dead-panned, "I don't ever want to erase you, Lea. I especially can't bare the thought of what the Organization could do to you. After I saw the destruction of our fight I knew we must have released the full extents of our powers, and we have never done that before in Xemnas's presence. If he doesn't kill us he may keep us as his personal slaves, and the last thing we need is him using us to destroy everything that so much as looks the wrong way at him."

It was ironic, really. Saix, Xemnas's faithful follower and second in command, was actually on my side for once. My lips ebbed into a smirk, which faded instantly. No, that only meant Saix was still himself after all this time—choosing me instead of Kingdom Hearts—and I had been the one pushing him away after all this time… with Roxas, Xion… "You've been protecting me." _Whoops, didn't mean to say that out loud._

Saix had his back to me, admiring the simple décor of the blank room. He didn't look at me when I let that comment slip. "What do you mean?"

I gave in, letting my thoughts spill like a glass of water knocked over by some careless person's elbow, "After we became Nobodies I thought you had changed… like you had been pushing me away simply because our friendship didn't matter anymore; that only Kingdom Hearts counted. We… I started to wonder what had gone wrong with us, so I guess I just gave up and found a friend in Roxas and Xion." Saix glanced at me over his shoulder, gaze steady. "I slowly began to realize Xemnas had assigned me to take care of Roxas, and it was a plus for you because you knew I would make friends with him, not that I ever knew why. I figured it was because you thought I could use someone, since you weren't going to be there for me anymore. Then you saved me from Xemnas, and now I'm so confused as to where your loyalties lie I'm going crazy! And after what just happened… I wonder if you've really just done everything to protect me."

Saix smiled, not smirked but for once truly _smiled_, and I saw a reflection of Isa in him. "I knew you'd figure it out one day. Lea, I realized that if Xemnas questioned our loyalties to each other compared to our loyalties to him, he would do everything to separate us. Second in command, remember? So, I thrust Roxas in your face and prayed you would move on. It was safer for us if we weren't friends anymore… but then you failed the mission, and all hell broke loose. So the appropriate thing to say is 'You've been trying to protect me'."

I was speechless for a moment, giving myself a mental kick in the ass. "I must be the worst friend in the world…"

"No, no," He wafted his hand at me, "It's quite alright. You couldn't do a thing about it, so don't go blaming yourself."

"So you really haven't change, huh? And you actually don't mind me calling you Isa, you just tried to avoid it because that was part of your plan, right?"

He shrugged, "Well, we've both changed. We're Nobodies now, Lea; we'll never be the same Isa and Lea we've come to know." I noticed the twinge of sadness in his voice, but dismissed it. He was right, we were Nobodies, so we couldn't feel, and… "But we're certainly not part of the Organization anymore, so Isa and Lea we will be."

"Touching."

We whirled around to face the man across the room, footfalls echoing off the too white walls as he advanced towards us. Saix—I still don't know whether to address him as Isa or not—pulled me behind him protectively, as always, his Claymore materializing in his hand. I summoned out my chakrams, prepared to follow through with anything he attempted to do.

"What is the Organization doing here?" The man spat his question, circling around us, "Leave before I put you out of your misery!"

"We're here to see Naminé," I announced, "Xion has come here once before seeking her help, so now we're doing the same thing."

"Xion came here trying to find out who she is!" The man snapped, heading towards the staircase carved into the wall nearby, "I knew she couldn't be trusted! She makes up lies, LIES I tell you! And then you two come back here seeking Naminé! I will not have it!"

"I was the one who came before," I admitted, stepping forward, "Xion was here to seek, Naminé, yes, so I brought her back to the Organization. I assure you she will not bother you again"—especially after what Xemnas plans to do to her, I hope Roxas will be OK—"But Xion isn't why we're here. The Organization is trying to erase us."

"Likely excuse!" The man barked, stomping up the steps, "Be gone with you!"

"Please!" I shouted, my voice bouncing off the boxed room, "We need her help!" He paused, arms folded behind his back. Finally he emerged from the darkness of the stairs and stormed back over to us. "Please, we just want to-"

"Save me the trouble, Axel," He seethed, "I have no business with you. Naminé told me about the events in Castle Oblivion, so I cannot trust you."

"Let's just go, Isa," I said, defeated, "We don't have time."

"That's exactly why we're staying," Saix hissed.

"Wait, Isa you say?" The man's eyes widened, "So then you must be Lea! Yes, yes I remember you two good-for-nothing teenagers who caused so many problems for me!" Great, there was definitely no way he was going to help us now. "Yes, I remember you clear as day!" He seemed ecstatic, "I am DiZ, my name used to be Ansem the Wise before my apprentices betrayed me…" Oh, so that's who he is. "Mm… I am disappointed to know that you are part of the Organization as well, those back-stabbing, two-timing, murderous, delusional-!"

"OK!" Saix interrupted, fangs poking through, "OK! We get the point! Look, we are not part of the Organization anymore, and we need your help because Xemnas is trying to erase us!"

"Fleeing, are you Saix and Axel?" DiZ inquired. I knew he had probably learned our names from stalking our Organization, "I can offer you no sanctum here! Now go!"

"Please!" I tried again, "We just need Naminé to put us to sleep! We're just trying to survive, and Naminé is our only answer!"

"Survive? You don't even exist!" We fell quiet. DiZ abruptly went for the steps again, steam rising from his shoulders. I stared at Saix expectantly, aware that he was about to give up as well. His Claymore disappeared in unison with my Chakrams. "What's with the hold up?" DiZ stated from the steps, "Follow me you blasted lunatics!"

"Look which pot is calling the kettle black," Saix uttered, ushering me to follow behind him. We tailed DiZ into one of the rooms upstairs, where the white witch sat at a table scribbling into her notepad. She glanced up at us, expression unreadable.

"Naminé," DiZ said slowly, "Meet Saix and Axel."

"I know who Axel is," she responded, smiling, "I told you about him… but I do not know his friend. Hello, I'm Naminé. What can I help you with?"

"They claim to be on the run from the Organization," DiZ explained before I could even register her question, "They say that only you can help them escape being erased by putting them to sleep. Is this true?"

"It could be," she admonished, "They would probably drop off the face of the map, if you know what I mean. How long do you want to be put to the sleep for?"

"Until Sora wakes up," Saix answered, "We need his help to bring down the Organization."

"YOU LIE!" DiZ exclaimed. This time I gladly ducked behind Saix. "You're going to earn Sora's trust and kill him! I know what you're up to!"

Naminé giggled, "Oh, DiZ… leave them alone. They won't hurt Sora." She returned to her picture, replacing her blue crayon for a red one, "Sora will awaken soon, once I fix his memories. His process has come to a temporary halt." She set her work aside and stood, soothing down her skirt, "Follow me to the back room."

DiZ groaned, "I don't trust them, Naminé!"

"It's fine, DiZ," she assured him and lead us into another room, smaller but filled with empty pods. "Many of these are the machines I use to manipulate memories. Some are prototypes designed by DiZ himself. Here, these two should do." We approached the empty cocoons, doors lifted like they were expecting us.

"So, you're the one manipulating Sora's memories?" Saix figured, "Why has he come to a stop?"

"I don't know, there's something interfering," She bit her nail, "I… can't figure out what it is."

"Xion…" Saix uttered, earning my outright attention, "That's why… It's not just Roxas she's absorbing…" He caught my gaze, "Axel, Xion has to be destroyed."

"We can't, Saix!" I shot back, "That will just give the Organization another opportunity to erase us!" He stared at me, dumbfounded, like I had something he wasn't expecting at all. "Plus… If we kill her then that means…"

"I told you from the beginning," Saix remarked, "It was always going to be a difficult decision no matter what happened. Either she gets killed or he does. But it's not our place to decide, we will have to wait and see."

"Xion," Naminé almost made her thumb bleed from biting so hard, "She has to be erased… Why don't you do it then?"

"We can't do it," Saix repeated firmly, "If we do the Organization will catch us. That will be counter-productive and not end well for _anyone_." Finally he sighed, "Please, just put us to sleep and wake us up before Sora—if he ever wakes up."

Naminé exhaled, "Fine, as you wish. Unfortunately I will have to erase your memories of me, like I have been doing with Sora and his friends. He does not remember the Organization, nor you Axel for that matter. I do not wish for him to remember the Castle Oblivion incident, nor me, so please say nothing. I will erase your memories of Oblivion and of me for his sake. I am sorry… please forgive me."

I stared at Saix, "I don't have a problem with any of it. I don't need those memories anyway!" After all the missions I've done I could sure use a week of rest.

Saix frowned, "Well, alright then. If that's what you want, Lea, I say we go for it."

I nodded. Naminé pointed to the first pod. Stomach twisting in my worry about Xion, Roxas, and maybe even Sora, I stepped into the pod and faced the witch in white, Saix at her side, "OK. I'm ready… Isa, one more thing before I go… while you're asleep try to figure out why the sun sets in red, alright?"

"Got it memorized," He agreed, smirking.

I laughed, "Thank you for this, Naminé," let the pod close around me, and slipped off into darkness.

Now, I just hoped we would wake up again.


	5. Of Day and Night

**(Sorry for the delay. This is short so I can start up again)**

**Chapter 5: Of Day and Night**

_I knew I was dreaming. There were a few subtle hints tossed in my direction which lead to such a conclusion on my part—Saix would be proud—one: upon glancing around I realized I was in Castle Oblivion, two: there were cloaked figures of the Organization poised on the platform above me, and three: they were the members from the incident with Naminé no doubt._

_One cast his hood back, a curtain of vibrant pink hair falling out across his face. He brushed the loose strands out of his way to reveal an icy stare from a pair of ocean blue eyes. "Welcome, Axel," his voice echoed off the asylum-white walls of the corridor around me._

_"Marluxia!" I snapped, summoning out my chakrams. Knowing him he was going to leap from the platform and slice me in half, so it was best I didn't take any chances._

_Another member cast his hood back, silver locks fanning out in front of him. It was Zexion, the one I had so soullessly made Replica Riku erase. He leapt down from the platform, lexicon in hand. Ash gray energy leaked off of him like steam, forming a massive gray bat above him. It screeched, spreading its wings from wall to wall. Thumbs scraped against the floor as it slammed down, fangs barred in my direction._

_I was dreaming. Otherwise I would be screwed. If Zexion was going to attack, all of them were. I cast a glare up at the others. First Vexen unveiled himself, green eyes glowing like emerald fire as a deep blue energy rose up around him, creating a polar bear. Larxene was next, her electric-yellow force melding into a bulky shark. Lexaeus's copper brown Elephant cried out like a trumpet, rocking the room like an aftershock. In turn Marluxia followed suit, the petal pink aura taking form of a dazzling stallion._

_Yeah, I was screwed._

_This was a dream. _Just a dream_._

_Zexion was in my face, using my momentary distraction as an opening. "You'd better pay attention to your current opponent!" Paper sliced my forearms as I guarded my face, jumping backwards. I performed a hand-spring to land on my knees, swinging my chakrams' spokes into the floor. Pillars of fire erupted from the unevenly marked tile; the bat was hit first in the wing and chest, and Zexion managed to dodge. He encircled me with several clones—in unison they cast multiple spells of Aerora, and despite my best attempts to get out of the way I was caught in one vortex, cast aside like a rag doll which instantly floored me._

_I caught my breath quickly, instinctively launching to my feet in time to avoid getting diced by the bat's thumbs. My chakrams soared into its neck, dispersing it into a cloud of ash. Zexion decked me in the face with a round-house kick, slamming me into the nearest pillar that supported the ceiling._

_Then, I blacked out. It was only for a moment, because when I woke up I realized the room now reeked of smoke. Leaping from the rubble I found Zexion unconscious nearby, slightly charred along with the nice portion of the room._

_I had lost control of my flames again. _

It's just a dream, Axel. It's just a dream.

_Without even thinking I tossed up my chakrams, deflecting a storm of ice shards. Vexen sprang into the air, spun, and used the momentum to chuck his shield at me. I ducked under the weapon, its spoke just skimming against my pulse point. In turn I summoned my chakrams and tossed it at my assailant. His bear caught the weapon in its teeth, crushing it into pathetic embers._

_As its claws came up to mutilate me I exploded with fire again, my red energy taking shape of a lion. It lunged at the bear, the intense flames countering the ice energy with ease. The bear was destroyed, turning both our creatures into steam. Thinking quickly I rolled to my side just as Vexen stomped his foot down where I was only a second ago. He fired a casting of Thundara at me, but I was smarter. I threw up a wall of fire to block back the bolts; then drilled him in the chest with a stream of flames._

_He somersaulted to his feet, summoning forth his shield-_

_A fireball crashed down upon his head, knocking him into the floor; a crater exploded around him a second later. I summoned out my chakrams, "WHO'S NEXT! COME AT ME!" My lion reappeared at my side, snarling, flaming claws digging into the tile._

_Lexaeus was up. His axe-sword slammed down onto my chakrams and his elephant smashed its weight into my lion, crushing us both. My head spun, my body ached. _GET UP. _I reflexively rolled out from under a second attack and swung my heel at the back of knees. The larger Nobody toppled to the floor with a surprised cry. His elephant reared over me, preparing to squash me into a pancake, but my lion formed from the flames lingering around the room and sank its fangs into the bigger creature's hide._

_The elephant screamed in agony, charging itself into the nearest pillar._

_Lexaeus lifted me to my feet by the collar of my shirt, chucking me into the wall. I flipped into the power of his throw and landed against the wall with my knees bent, balls of my feet pressed into the stone, chakrams forming in my grasp. I launched at him with enough force to sink my spokes deep into his chest and shoulder. A smirk spread across my face, "Ka-Boom."_

_The room exploded with fire, obliterating the elephant still throwing a tantrum nearby and scorching Lexaeus into unconsciousness._

_I collapsed to my knees. _I'm exhausted… No, can't give up… Keep going… _My vision doubled, blurred, rearranged itself. _I've used too much energy… WAKE UP. WAKE UP!

_Marluxia's stallion cried out, earning my attention. I lifted my head up with what little strength I still had. Marluxia and Larxene leapt from the platform above, sharing equally amused grins of triumph. "You betrayed us," Marluxia remarked, his stallion pawing the floor in agreement._

_Larxene's fists sparked with electricity, "We don't appreciate traitors. But that's kind of ironic, isn't it?" Her shark seemed to swim through the air, levitating above the ground; it rubbed against her like an affectionate cat. "It seems you've wasted too much of your power. Little Lea has reached his limit~"_

_I dug my nails into the tattered tile beneath me, "Sh-shut up, Arleen!"_

_A scowl replaced her characteristic smirk, "Go to hell!" I was zapped with a powerful bolt of lightning that floored me instantly, but wasn't enough to knock me for a loop. "Sick 'em." Her shark snapped down onto my arm and hoisted me into the air, slinging me across the room with a single swing of its upper body._

_Instead of impacting like I had thought I would, I was caught. Gently the person set me down on the ground, "Let me take it from here."_

_I massaged my throbbing brow when a mild headache came on, "I-Isa? How'd you…?"_

_He stood over me, radiating with aura, his wolf poised at his side. "Naminé must have connected our dreams. I sensed that you were having some… trouble, as always, so I came to lend my assistance… as always. Ugh, the things I do for you…"_

_I struggled to sit up, "Wait, Isa…Who's N-…"_

_My world suddenly spiraled into darkness._

I shot up with a start, collapsing out of a pod and landing face-first on the floor. My head spun momentarily until I could register how to breathe again; then my mind clicked back into place, yet it felt like part of my thought process was missing. I vaguely grasped my dream… but it diminished into shadows. Saix was still encased in his pod; the first glance at him brought back a steady timeline of memories.

_We… came to see DiZ… and Sora… and ran from the Organization._

I accomplished relearning how to stand, using the wall as support, and after a minute of flexing my muscles I shambled over the table across the room. There was a picture of two figures, one that was me and the other Saix, colored in crayon. We weren't wearing the organization uniform, but we were still in black. We sat up on the clock tower watching the sunset.

The pod behind me split open and Saix toppled out, hitting the floor like a sandbag.

"Isa," I uttered, sliding my arms under his so I could easily drag him over to the single chair at the table. I sat him down with ease, "Hey, you're awake. Give it a few moments to wear off." He didn't respond—not that I expected him to—and rubbed his forehead. I propped myself up on the table and waited for him to regain consciousness.

"Lea," he muttered under his breath, "Is Sora awake?"

I glanced over at the other three pods, "No. Not yet."

"Then we need to wait. He's our only hope." His gaze shifted over to me, "Lea, about the dream… Do you remember any of it? I certainly don't."

"It feels like I didn't dream at all…" I swung my legs in the air playfully, "And at the same time I did. How long have we been asleep for, anyway? Days? Weeks? Months? Years? And what if Sora doesn't wake up at all?"

"Think positively," Saix told me sternly, "Otherwise I'm going to staple your lips together. Wait, why didn't I think of that before?"

I rolled my eyes skyward. _You'd better wake up soon, Sora._


End file.
